Within the Fire
by BluAugust
Summary: It was a night that she would always remember and one he wanted to forget. It was another mistake to leave behind in a past that was littered with them. But soon it becomes clear that not all mistakes can be left in the past. SasukeXSakura
1. Preface

**Author's Note:** I do not own Naruto

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**Within the Fire: Preface**

_Her pounding heart rang in her ears and the sound of her heavy breathing seemed to shatter the silence of the night. The forest around her was strangely quiet, its dark shadows stretching out over everything around her as the clouds hid the moon in a blanket of darkness. Tonight was the night. He had seen it coming nearly too late for either of them to do anything. But he had caught it with enough time so that they could change the future. Perhaps not their own, because that was quite limited at the moment, but they could change the future of her daughter and perhaps of the world that she would grow to know._

_She clutched her young daughter in her arms, the five year old girl not even stirring despite the jarring pace at which she was being carried. The process had taken a toll on her daughter's young body and left her unconscious. It meant there would be no time for a goodbye but perhaps it was for the best. Time was against them and if her plan was going to work she would need to hurry back. If not for the fact that she knew the forest so well she might have stumbled in the black shadows or from the tears that pooled in her eyes. The salty liquid brimmed and finally spilled over her eyelids, the tears running down her cheeks and flying off behind her as she ran. _

_Finally the sound of the river reached her ears, the steady rush of water interrupting the harsh sound of her own breathing in the silent night. She skidded to a stop by its bank, the soft earth giving way ever so slightly under her weight. She peered into the darkness, her eyes wide as the squinted along the black water in search of something. She finally spotted the dark shape floating on the water. She made her way along the bank towards the make-shift raft that floated on the surface of the river. It had been tied to a nearby tree, and rope that held it in place taunt as the river threatened to whisk away the unsteady raft. _

_She set her daughter down on the bank then, resting her back against the trunk of the tree to which the raft was tied. She grabbed the rope and pulled the raft towards her, fighting the current which wanted to sweep the raft downriver. Once the raft was close enough she tugged it onto the bank, half in the water and half out noting then the protective seal that had been painted onto the top of the raft. Another wave of tears ran down her cheeks as she lifted her daughter from the ground and lay her down on the raft. She leaned over her sleeping daughter, the tears from her eyes falling down and landing on the cheeks of her daughter. She leaned down and kissed her daughter's forehead and brushed her own tears from her cheeks with a gentle thumb._

"_We love you…" she whispered before untying the rope from the raft and giving it a strong shove into the river. A heart-wrenching sob escaped her parted lips as the shadows swallowed up the image of the young girl on the raft. It was the last image she would hold of her daughter, the one she would carry with her for what little time she had left. "Watch over my daughter Amaya," she said to the air, her voice breaking from the tears. She turned from the river then and sprinted back towards the camp, back to a fate that she knew awaited her. It was a fate she could have chosen to run from but there would never be any truly escape._

_Her heart hammered in her ears as the first scream shattered the silence of the night into thousands of tiny pieces. More shouts and yells followed though she paid little attention to any of them. She was focused on one thing and that was finding him. Before the end she needed to find him. She had wanted him to take their daughter and run but he had refused to leave her. So instead they decided to save their daughter. He had prepared and put the raft in place while she had done her best to ensure that the world not be powerless against a certain evil that still after all these years threatened to rise back up. There was nothing left to do now but find him before it was all over._

_She made it to the camp, cries of agony and malicious laughter drowning her as she peered into the darkness. The wind whipped through the camp carrying with it the smells of dying fires and death. The clouds that covered the moon fell away and for a moment the land in front of her was illuminated in an eerie glow. The horrible scene in front of her was cast in the silvery light of the moon making it into a nightmare that she could only wish was a dream. She found him then as he did her. Across the camp their eyes met and held as if everything else around them had faded away. They moved towards each other at the same instant. _

_She saw the blade run through him though him and felt as if it had been run through herself as well, like she was completely connected to him in that moment. Rather than freeze in place or cry out she simply was propelled towards him even faster, her body reacting before her mind had decided what to do. She was at his side when his knees hit the ground. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled his head into her lap as his body slumped to the group. In the midst of the chaos around them she saw nothing but his face and heard nothing but his labored breathing. The look in his eyes betrayed the question he was about to ask long before his weak voice could formulate the words. _

"_She's safe," she whispered softly, leaning down and brushing her lips against his own. The corner of his mouth curled upwards in a smile that she loved more than her own life. _

"_Naomi," he said coughing and then wincing at the pain. "I love you," he said, his voice strained as his eyes held hers one last time. _

"_And I love you," she whispered to him as he continued to fade in her arms. _

"_And there you are," a female voice nearly snarled at her from behind. Naomi knew then that it was the end for her but in that moment she felt oddly at peace. A small smile curved the corners of her mouth upwards. Was there any better way to go than this? She was here with the one she loved, together in life and together in death. His eyes slipped closed and she brushed the back of her hand across his cheek._

"_I'm right behind you my love," she whispered out loud. She heard the blade as it sliced through the air and welcomed the eternal night. _

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**Author's Note:** Okay so I know this part had nothing to do with Sasuke or Sakura but this will be important for later. Just to give you an idea this is a future fic that is going to be centered around a SasukeXSakura relationship. The fic itself will not just be about them however, it will include a bit of everyone though they are the main focus. There will also be more pairings so if you have one that you really want to see let me know and I will try to squeeze it in there. If I don't get any opinions then I will probably just stick with pairings I was leaning towards. There will be quite a few original characters thrown into this story as well, which will hopefully develop accordingly. Also if anyone is interested I have quite a few ideas for this story that I would love to bounce off someone. I have an outline but looking at it I wonder if perhaps I might have too much going on in one story. So if anyone is interested in providing an opinion let me know. I don't expect you to do any reading... just letting me know if the ideas are good or if they should be tossed. And now I am rambling. So thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed! And since the preface was rather short here is a preview for the next chapter.

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**Chapter 1 Preview**

...

Not much later, Sasuke was standing in front of Tsunade giving her a brief report while Naruto stood at his side grinning like some sort of fool. While she hadn't aged a day as far as looks, Tsunade was in fact getting up there. He was slightly surprise that they had yet to find a new Hokage. As it was though, no one was quite willing to take the job. Well Naruto was, but up until the past year or so his temper had tended to severely blind his judgment and it was decided he wasn't quite ready for the title. Lately though he had been quite impressive, even to Sasuke, with how he handled himself. Of course he still acted like a complete idiot at times but if he didn't he simply wouldn't be Naruto. But perhaps Naruto's goal of becoming Hokage wasn't too far off. At the moment though, Sasuke was far more concerned with the reason for his stupid grinning. Something was up and he wasn't sure he wanted to know what it was.

"Is that it then," Tsunade asked.

"More or less," Sasuke said with a shrug. That wasn't quite it but he would tell her the rest after Naruto left.

"Well I have a new assignment for you," she said laying a paper on her desk in front of him. Internally Sasuke sighed. He knew that he owed the village more than he could possibly make up for but the constant missions had left him rather weary. It seemed that he spent what little time in Kohona that he had, in the hospital for some injury or another. Before he had a chance to look at the paper Tsunade went on.

"This isn't like any of your past assignments. You have been doing a great deal of work for Kohona and Naruto suggested, and I do actually agree with him, that it is time for you to be doing something a bit different. So I have assigned you a team of genin."

...

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	2. A New Assignment

**Author's Note: **I do not own Naruto. Here is the first chapter of the story. Updates will not be coming out so fast regularly but the preface was short so I decided to post this chapter as well. I am currently in a debate as to who else I should give a team to. I am torn between giving the final team to Neji, Shino, Choji, Lee, or Ino so if you think one of them would make a better sensei please let me know. Also a thank you to Wulfgirl1, The Sound of Thunder, kairigurl08 for reviewing. Reviews are always appreciated and certainly encourage me to write more. I always welcome opinions and suggestions because they can help influence the story. Anyway enjoy the newest chapter.

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**Chapter 2: **A New Assignment

His feet fell silently on the ground, the damp grass parting under the pressure of his weight. His eyes, black as the night itself peered through the darkness and rested on the sight of Kohona's gate. It had been three years since he had passed through these gates. The last S ranked mission that he had been sent on had taken that long to complete. It had been a total of thirteen years now. Thirteen years since he had returned to the village that he had once turned his back on, and because of that, these past thirteen years had been spent on missions such as this last one.

A lifetime spent seeking revenge had left him forever with a debt to repay. He knew that he didn't deserve the acceptance that the village had given him upon his return, nor the acceptance that his old friends had given him but he had gotten it anyway. They had handed back to him as if he had never betrayed them the way that he had. But he had betrayed them in the worst sort of way. And so for the last thirteen years he had been set on making it up to them all, being someone worthy of their trust. Besides it was easier for him to throw himself into mission after mission than it was so face the people whose friendship he had thrown in their face.

In the thirteen years that he had been back, he had spent most of his time on missions or in the hospital recovering. The only person he had done much talking to was Naruto, aside from him he tended to ignore everyone. And he probably would have ignored him as well but Naruto made that next to impossible. And so that had been the existence of the dark eyed ninja. For the last thirteen years it had been one mission after the next in an attempt to earn back what he had once so hastily thrown away. In his mind he knew that no amount of his own blood lost in order to serve this village could make up for what he had done but he would try to do it anyway. He would spend the rest of his life looking for some sort of redemption if he had to. Besides once he had gotten the revenge he had been so desperately after, he had been left without a real purpose. This seemed as good as anything to throw himself into.

He quietly passed through the gates nodding at the guards but saying nothing as he entered the village. While he had spent a limited amount of time in the village since his return he still felt a certain pull towards the village. One he had felt during those years he had left it as well. It was the pull of home, the place where he had been born and the place where he had made ties that seemed to be able to withstand even the toughest of tests. Ties that even he himself had tried to cut though they had remained just as strong, if not stronger than they were all those years ago.

He tilted his head towards the sky taking it in as he walked. The moon was nearly full and cast a silvery glow down on the village. The cloudless sky held many stars that night, each casting their glow for his eyes to see. His footsteps seemed to echo along the empty street as he made his way towards his apartment. It didn't take him long to reach the familiar entrance. He opened the door and stepped inside taking in the dusty appearance of the apartment in the faint light that trickled in through the window. He would need to clean the apartment, but it could wait. For now he was going to get some rest.

He walked to the window and opened it causing the fresh air to rush in through the opening and chase out the stagnate air that seemed almost heavy with dust. The night was cool but not cold and so he left the window partially open before getting ready for a much needed rest. And he welcomed the sleep that came so easily and remained as the darkness gave way to a dull gray light as the sun began to rise of the village.

It wasn't until some time after the first rays of light poured in through the window and hit his face, that he woke. He had gotten in late the night before and had pushed himself on his journey home so that he was able to arrive several days before he was expected. He had been anxious to get back for a reason he wasn't quite sure of. Either way he was glad for the chance for rest. He felt much better than he had the night before. He stretched his arms up behind his head, resting his head on his hands as his black eyes stared up at the ceiling. He knew that he should get up and deliver his report but he decided to linger for a little longer. Or at least he would have lingered longer if it wasn't for the pounding on his door.

"Sasuke!" It was the unmistakable voice of Naruto that called out to him from the other side of his door. Sasuke glared at the door and wondered how it was possible that Naruto had found out he was back already. Any peace and quiet he had been expecting was long gone now. He got up and put on his clothes. He wore a black sleeveless shirt and black pants. The sleeveless shirts seemed quite common among the ANBU and he had taken to wearing them as well. They simply worked the best with the armor. Sasuke walked over to the door and opened it coming face to face with Naruto. Naruto took one look at him and grinned from ear to ear. Sasuke stepped to the side and Naruto walked into the apartment.

"Welcome back," Naruto said glancing around the apartment. "Hey Sasuke you might want to clean this place up," he said making a slight face.

"Did it occur to you that I only just got back last night," Sasuke said his tone sounding almost like a sigh as his gaze remained resting on his closet friend. Amazing now how easy it was for him to admit that when back when they were kids he thought Naruto was nothing more than a pain in the ass.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and turned his blue gaze back to Sasuke. "Well it doesn't matter. Anyway I came to get you. You need to report to granny-Tsunade as soon as you can."

"Another mission," Sasuke questioned, his eyebrow arching in question. He was surprised that Tsunade would be sending him out already. He was hoping for a bit of a break. But if it was necessary that he depart on another mission so soon then he would.

"Not quite," Naruto said in a way that made Sasuke frown. While Naruto was one of his closet friends, the blonde still always seemed to find ways to be slightly annoying. Like in this case, his vague answer to the question. Sasuke eyed Naruto but Naruto flashed him another grin and moved towards the door. "Lets get moving," he said, as usual completely impatient and unwilling to wait for anything.

"I'll meet you at the tower," Sasuke said moving towards the door to close it behind Naruto. "I need to finish something up first," he said closing the door on Naruto before he had a chance to complain. He heard a huff from the other side of the door and the corner of his mouth curved upward in a half-smirk as he shook his head and walked away from the door. Waiting wasn't going to kill him.

Not much later, Sasuke was standing in front of Tsunade giving her a brief report while Naruto stood at his side grinning like some sort of fool. While she hadn't aged a day as far as looks, Tsunade was in fact getting up there. He was slightly surprise that they had yet to find a new Hokage. As it was though, no one was quite willing to take the job. Well Naruto was, but up until the past year or so his temper had tended to severely blind his judgment and it was decided he wasn't quite ready for the title. Lately though he had been quite impressive, even to Sasuke, with how he handled himself. Of course he still acted like a complete idiot at times but if he didn't he simply wouldn't be Naruto. But perhaps Naruto's goal of becoming Hokage wasn't too far off. At the moment though, Sasuke was far more concerned with the reason for his stupid grinning. Something was up and he wasn't sure he wanted to know what it was.

"Is that it then," Tsunade asked.

"More or less," Sasuke said with a shrug. That wasn't quite it but he would tell her the rest after Naruto left.

"Well I have a new assignment for you," she said laying a paper on her desk in front of him. Internally Sasuke sighed. He knew that he owed the village more than he could possibly make up for but the constant missions had left him rather weary. It seemed that he spent what little time in Kohona that he had, in the hospital for some injury or another. Before he had a chance to look at the paper Tsunade went on.

"This isn't like any of your past assignments. You have been doing a great deal of work for Kohona and Naruto suggested, and I do actually agree with him, that it is time for you to be doing something a bit different. So I have assigned you a team of genin."

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"Takeshi-kun, is this seat taken?"

Takeshi turned his head, his black eyes falling on Ren. She was standing by the seat beside him, her violet eyes resting on him in anticipation. He wanted to say that it was, but at the moment the seat was free and he didn't feel like telling Ren to get lost if no one ended up in the seat. It was taking a lot of effort on his end to try and get the point across to her that he really wasn't interested. Ren was quite pretty but she was well aware of that fact which made her a bit stuck-up. Of course he had more important things to worry about as well so he remained rather distant to the blonde. Takeshi simply shrugged his shoulders in response to her question and Ren smiled at him as she sat down beside him.

Takeshi immediately turned to his left towards his friend Isao, who was paying absolutely no attention. Takeshi's gaze followed his friend's gaze and came to a rest on Miyu. Of course that was what Isao would be staring at. Isao had been pining away for Miyu ever since they were six years old. Not that Miyu gave Isao the time of day. Actually she rarely gave anyone the time of day. The girl was all business and at the top of the class with himself. He snapped his fingers in front of Isoa's face and his friend nearly fell out of his chair.

Isao gave him a sheepish grin and Takeshi shook his head. Maybe if Isao had spent more time in class paying attention to the teacher his scores would be a bit better. But besides that Isao was a great training partner and the two of them had worked hard on their training outside the classroom. Their father's were best friends and it seemed natural that their sons bond as well.

Ren tapped Takeshi on the arm in an attempt to get his attention at the same time their academy teacher, Hinata Uzumaki walked into the room. Takeshi ignored Ren and nodded forward indicating that she should pay attention. Everyone sitting in the room had passed the test to become genin. All that they needed now were their team assignments. Takeshi and just about everyone else in the room was anxious for them.

"I would like to congratulate you all once again for having made it to this point," Hinata said her voice timid but sure. "I am going to read out a list of the three man squads that have been formed. Each squad has been assigned to a jounin, who they will meet tomorrow. The first squad is…"

Isao heard the first three names though they weren't any he recognized in particular. He was anxious to find out the team he was one. He hoped to get on a team with either Takeshi or Miyu. Miyu was by far the prettiest girl in the class and he wasn't the only one who thought so. Of course anyone who voiced that opinion had to answer to Ren, which was not a pleasant thing. Ren couldn't stand Miyu, and Miyu acted as if Ren didn't exist. Actually Miyu acted like most people didn't exist. She had a colder demeanor than most of the others in their class. Isao found himself looking at her once again though his attention was quickly redirected as he heard his name.

"Team 2 will be Isao Guy, Ryo Umino, and Ren Nakazawa."

Isao wanted to bang his head against his desk. He wasn't on a team with either Takeshi or Miyu. He didn't know Ryo that well, and well Ren, she could be overbearing sometimes. Honestly though he didn't know her very well either. She had set her sights on Takeshi though she wasn't having much luck with that. He supposed though he was going to have to deal with it. It might not be that bad after all. He wondered briefly what their sensei might be like but soon his attention drifted back to the teams.

"Team 3 will be Takeshi Haruno, Miyu Hatake, and Kiyoko."

Takeshi was having a hard time believing it. How did he end up getting stuck on a team with two girls? His gaze flickered to Miyu for a moment. Sure she was smart and her father was a highly skilled ninja, but she looked breakable. It was hard to take someone who looked like her seriously, just like it was with Ren. Miyu had silvery white hair that fell down to her thighs. She had a slender build and stunning light blue eyes. Like her father, she wore a mask that came up over her nose but her features that could be seen were flawless. How could he expect her to do anything worthwhile when the last thing she looked like was a ninja?

He turned his head to get a better look at Kiyoko. He didn't know much about her which was probably due to the fact that the girl never talked. He knew that she was an orphan and not originally from Kohona. She had light green-blue eyes and black hair that had that same green-blue tint to it almost as if it were highlighted. Her hair was wavy and reached to the bottom of her lower back. She didn't look like much of a ninja to him either though it was certainly more believable that she was one than Miyu. He shook his head. Things sure were going to be interesting.

"You are all dismissed for the day," Hinata said once she had read off the last team. "Tomorrow each team will meet their sensei."

Kiyoko watched as the rest of the students stood and filtered out of the room. Her pale green-blue eyes rested on Takeshi Haruno briefly as he left the room with his friend Isao. Her gaze then drifted to Miyu Hatake who gathered her books up and left the room alone. Kiyoko swallowed a lump in her throat as she got to her own feet. Both of them were at the top of the class, some of the most promising young ninja at the academy. And while she was no slacker herself, next to them she was going to be absolutely useless. She hung her head slightly as she walked out the door, the last one left in the room. Not to mention next to them she was going to be invisible. No one noticed her. She was an orphan with no friends. The others at the academy tended to ignore her and she was far to shy to introduce herself to anyone. She just hoped that starting tomorrow she would be able to keep up with her new team.


	3. Enter Sakura Haruno

**Author's Notes:**

_I do not own Naruto_

_Here is the next chapter of Within the Fire. I know the beginning is a tad bit slow but I am just trying to set the stage for everything that is to come. This is a SakuraXSasuke fic but they are not the sole purpose so I am sorry to those of you who want to see some interaction between them because that may take a bit. I don't want to rush the story into their relationship. Now I am rambling but as usual, suggestions and constructive criticism are welcomed. Enjoy._

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_Inu-ru831- I hope you don't stay confused. If you do let me know and I will try to clear up any questions you might have. Hopefully things will fall together for you as the story goes on._

_kairigurl08- Son't wory I didn't forget Sakura! She makes a brief appearance in this chapter and will be making her pressence felt more as the story continues. _

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**Within the Fire: **Enter Sakura Haruno

"A team," Sasuke repeated out loud, unable to grasp the concept that had just been thrown at him. The mention of the word team and he was sent spiraling back into an assortment of old memories of himself, Naruto, and Sakura. Back then they had all been so… difficult, himself included. He wasn't sure how Kakashi had out up with them all. Besides he wasn't exactly a kid sort of person. He wasn't sure he would be able to stand being in charge of a team three genin. It almost seemed a lot like babysitting. Granted as far as kids went he had always wanted to revive his clan. But after the path he had chosen, that option seemed out of reach now, or at least for the time being.

"What are you deaf? Yes a team," Naruto repeated waving a hand in front of Sasuke's frozen face. "Wait a minute. Please don't tell me that _the _Sasuke Uchiha is afraid of taking on a team of genin," he said before bursting into laughter.

"I'm not afraid of that," Sasuke said, his eyes narrowing at Naruto. "I just wasn't expecting that," he added shrugging his shoulders casually. "Besides if you were able to get a team of genin promoted to chunin, I am sure anyone can do it," he added with a half-smirk.

"Why you," Naruto clenched his hands into fists at his sides but almost instantly relaxed his hands and replaced his glare with a grin. "We'll just have to see about that Sasuke."

"If you two are done," Tsunade said cutting in before either of them could say anything else. "I was planning on telling Sasuke the members of his team." Sasuke turned to look at Tsunade, his face expectant. "Your three man team will be Miyu Hatake, Takeshi Haruno, and Kiyoko."

Sasuke frowned slightly as he processed the names in his head. "Hatake… Haruno," he said, the names more of a question as they left his lips.

"Yes Miyu Hatake is Kakashi's daughter. And Takeshi Haruno is," Tsunade paused for a moment before continuing. "Takeshi is Sakura's son, and of course you know Kiyoko."

The words that left Tsunade's mouth after she uttered the word son were beyond him. Sakura had a son. It was the only thought that was running through his mind at the moment. He had never had a clue. Granted ever since that one time, the only time he saw her anymore was usually at the hospital and they rarely ever exchanged many words other than what was required. Still he couldn't believe that no one had ever bothered to mention to him that she had had a son. His first instinct was to ask who the father was, who she felt that way about, but somehow he managed to check the words before they left his mouth. Fortunately for himself, years of perfecting a composed exterior paid off and his facial expressions never belied the emotions that ran beneath the surface.

"Sasuke are you alright," Naruto asked unfortunately guessing that truth that he wasn't.

"Why wouldn't I be," he snapped back, his words a bit too harsh though he couldn't take them back. He collected himself and turned to face Naruto. "I need to talk to Tsunade about a few more details but I will catch up with you later. You can fill me in on what else I missed," he said though he couldn't quite keep the bitter sarcasm out of last of words. Naruto nodded and left, leaving Sasuke alone with Tsunade. "How has she been?"

"Fine as far as I can tell. Unfortunately she still has no memories of her life before you found her. I even tried myself to help her recover them but I haven't had any luck. I suppose at this point if she is meant to remember them she will," Tsunade said with a sigh. "She has been doing alright at the academy, average marks but very attentive. Hinata tells me she keeps to herself more than the rest of the students and hasn't made any real friends. Perhaps she will feel more comfortable now that you are around."

"I don't know why that would be the case," Sasuke said with a shrug.

"Because despite the fact that you haven't been around the girl is very attached to you. You were the one who found her after all."

Sasuke simply nodded his mind drifting back to the day when he had found Kiyoko. He had been on his way back from a mission. He had been traveling through the woods and had just crossed into Fire Country when he had come across a river. He wasn't sure why he had lingered but he had felt a strange pull towards the river itself and had paused a moment on one of the branches from which he was leaping. That moment was just long enough for him to hear a soft whimper somewhere below him.

He had jumped down from the branch only to discover a young girl huddled up against the trunk of the tree he had been in. Her arms were wrapped around her knees and her light bluish green eyes were wide with fear. When she saw him she had shrunk back as if she wanted to sink into the tree. So it had taken quite a bit of time for him to finally convince her that he wasn't going to hurt her. It had taken even more time to get her to talk and even after that he still learned nothing as her memory had been wiped clear. Unable to leave her to wander the forest on her own, he had brought her back to the village.

Since that day Sasuke had been keeping an eye on her though it was from a distance. While Naruto made an effort to visit Kiyoko and check up on her, Sasuke simply made sure she was being taken care of financially. He had no real use for most of the money he earned anyway and he felt compelled to help Kiyoko for a reason he wasn't quite sure of. But as far as how she was doing at the academy or with other kids her age he simply got that information secondhand like he was doing now. It was easier for him as emotional attachment was still a difficult thing for him to handle. Still despite his distance Kiyoko was quite found of him and he found it hard not to feel fond of her as well.

"One more thing," Sasuke said laying a folder on Tsunade's desk.

Tsunade picked up the folder and opened it, her amber eyes scanning over Sasuke's writing as she took in the information that paper in front of her held. After a moment her eyes widened slightly and she looked back up at Sasuke.

"Are you sure of this," she questioned, her amber eyes once again falling to the paper to continue reading.

"I was never able to confirm it one way or another but the information seems quite solid. It is probably worth looking into at some point."

Tsunade nodded in agreement, a frown creasing her features as she waved a dismissive hand at Sasuke. "You're dismissed," she said her eyes still on the paper. "Don't forget about meeting your team tomorrow," she commented as Sasuke walked out the door.

As he entered the hallway he frowned to himself and wondered how it was that he could possibly forget what he was about to deal with. He had a team of genin and if that wasn't enough one of them happened to be the son of the woman he could never seem to be able to quite get out of his thoughts.

Sakura and Naruto had been the two people he had hurt the most with his betrayal. In his selfishness he had thrown away what they had offered him like it had been nothing at all. He had been a fool to do so and he had hurt them both more than they had ever deserved. The only difference was that with Sakura the process seemed to be continuous. He had always hurt her. From the day they had been put on the same team up until even now. When they were younger, it had been with his cold and disdainful attitude towards her. Then they day he had left the village he had refused her love. His absence had continued to hurt her, just as it had hurt Naruto. And when he finally had returned, he hadn't been back a month before he had hurt her again.

Since then he had stayed away from Sakura. He figured it was the best for the both of them. He was never sure how to act around her and in the end all he seemed to do was hurt her. Obviously though without his interference she was doing quite alright for herself as she now had a son. He shook his head as he walked. He simply had a hard time picturing Sakura with a kid. Perhaps it was because he kept picturing _his _Sakura, or at least the Sakura he had once known rather well. The Sakura with a quick temper, a scary strength, and a slight blush on her cheeks reserved for him. That blush had returned for a brief time when he had returned to the village but now when they passed one another all traces of it were gone.

As he made his way towards Ichiraku's, as there was no doubt that Naruto would want to meet him there, he couldn't help but let his thoughts once again linger on a certain pink haired ninja. While he still was having a hard time picturing her as a mother, he was having an even harder time grasping that she had a twelve-year old son. Sakura certainly didn't seem like the type, at least to him, that would have a child so young. But he supposed that his own opinion didn't hold much value. He had been away for so long and even after his return he hardly spoke to her.

He let out a frustrated sigh wondering why he was dwelling on this so much. He told himself that it was simply that he was shocked at the news but he knew that wasn't the only reason. However he wasn't one to dwell on the way he felt and so he did what he had done best all these years. He suppressed the unnamed emotions that bubbled up within him and picked up his pace so that he could get a few of his questions answered by Naruto.

* * *

"I'm home!"

Sakura heard her son yell from just inside the front door of their little home. She set the medical file she had been reading over down on her desk and stood from the chair. She brushed a strand of her pink hair behind her ear and walked over to the door of her office. She stepped out, glad to be out of the stuffy space, and headed for the front door. She found Takeshi standing there talking animatedly with his friend Isao. Isao was and Takeshi were quite good friends and it was rare that a day passed when Sakura did not see her son's friend. She supposed thought that it should have been expected. The boys had been raised together as their father's were just as inseparable to the point where it was almost a bit creepy. Sakura, no longer distracted by her side thoughts, noticed a slightly annoyed look on Takeshi's face.

"What's wrong," Sakura asked, a frown crossing her pale features as she tried to determine what was bothering her son.

"We got our team assignments today," Takeshi said with a frown, and Sakura noticed that Isao's expression was very much the same.

"I suppose you didn't get on the same team then," she said picking up on that easily enough. Both boys shook their heads indicating she was correct in her assumption. She walked over to them and put a slender arm around Takeshi's shoulders and ruffled Isao's hair with her other hand. "It will be alright," she assured them. "Just because you aren't on the same team doesn't mean you can't train together."

"I know," Takeshi said making a face and ducking out from under her arm. "But I got put on a team with two girls and they both look so breakable," he complained.

Sakura felt her eyebrow twitch. She had to quickly rein in her temper before the force of it was released at her son. He sounded so arrogant with his words and it reminded her too much of a certain someone. He was already assuming that the girls on his team were weak and useless. Sakura knew how it felt to be that way, and she wouldn't stand for her son labeling those girls especially when he hadn't even seen them in action.

Takeshi realized his mistake as soon as the words left his mouth. He shot a panicked look at Isao, who had taken a wary step away from Sakura. Isao had to bite back his laughter as he shook his head at his foolish friend, who was now staring wide-eyed at his mother, awaiting her reaction and probably hoping she didn't put him through a wall.

"Come on you two," Sakura said, shocking them both. "Let's go," she said stepping towards the door.

Takeshi snapped out of his shock with the shake of his head. "Where are we going?"

"Well I thought we would train a little just to let you see how _weak_ us girls can really be," Sakura said with a pleasant smile.

"You're screwed now," Isao whispered to Takeshi after Sakura had passed by them and out the door.

"I heard that Isao," Sakura called pleasantly from outside the house. "Don't you worry I didn't plan on leaving you out of our training."

"Takeshi your mom scares the crap out of me," Isao whispered, this time his voice so low that Takeshi barely head it.

"Hell she scares the crap out of everybody," Takeshi whispered back with a pained look as he took a deep breath and stepped back outside to follow his mom to the training grounds. Maybe with a little luck his dad or Guy would show up and interfere before he and Isao were too sore to move.


End file.
